Blood Lust
by ghunter182003
Summary: One love has been lost and another is needed to take their place. Will it be successful or will it spell certain doom? Roman Reigns/OC. *may contain language, violence and adult situations*
1. Tragedy and Triumph

**A/N: So, I'm back, even though my eyesight isn't 100% better. This is my new story, featuring Joe Anoa'i aka Roman Reigns and my OC Aneesa. It has some elements of supernatural. horror, suspense, drama and romance, because let's face it: who DOESN'T like reading romance, especially when it involves the Samoan Sex God Roman Reigns! ;) *The only thing I own is Aneesa and her family.* Read and review! **BELIEVE IN THE SHIELD!****

**2000 YEARS AGO-ROMANIA**

**Aneesa's POV**

I awoke with a start, as did my mate Damon. There was a sense of unease reverberating throughout the halls of our fortress of solitude. It was a place of sanctuary for all vampire covens away from the villagers who, as of late, had had enough of our kind killing innocent people from their villages. As we peacefully slumbered within its walls, an angry mob of villagers stormed the castle and silently made their way throughout the halls, picking off us vampires one by one.

Within seconds, the castle was in a state of chaos as the sound of screaming filled every nook and cranny. Damon and I quickly rushed to our children's' room, only to be met with a horrifying scene. There was a pile of ash on the twins' bed where our son Marcus had once laid. Next to the pile of ash was a man holding our daughter Victoria by her long dark brown hair. In his other hand was a spike that had been laced with holy water.

"Say goodbye to mommy and daddy, you bloodsucking brat!" he shouted as he drove the spike into her heart, grinning as she disintegrated into a pile of ash, her screams echoing throughout the room.

We rushed forward, our fangs bared and ready to attack. Damon reached the man first and sank his fangs deep into his neck, draining him of blood. Within seconds, the man was dead. Our victory was short lived, however, as another man burst into the room, holy water laced spike in hand. Without warning, Damon threw himself in front of me, groaning in agony as the spike pierced his heart. I immediately sunk my teeth into the man's neck and drained him dry before turning to Damon.

"Go, Aneesa. You are our only hope of rebuilding our clan. Go now!" he managed to get out before turning to ash.

I ran back to our bedroom and grabbed a cloak for protection against the sun before leaping out of the window into the moat below. The icy water welcomed me as I landed within its depths. After swimming to shore, I took refuge in the Kirkbride Forest and found a cave in which to take shelter. As I drifted off to a restless sleep, I began to think: _what is to become of me now?_

**PRESENT DAY-CHICAGO, ILLINOIS**

**Joe's POV**

We (The Shield) had just scored another victory at the latest PPV and were headed to the men's locker room to shower when I first noticed her. She looked to be about 5'4" with dark brown hair and pale skin that reminded me of Sheamus' skin tone. She wore a blood red crop top with matching booty shorts and black wrestling boots with red trim. I nudged Colby with my elbow.

"Hey, man. Who's that?" I asked him.

He looked over at her before looking back at me.

"She's a new Diva. Her name's Janessa or something like that. She's challenging April for the Diva's title tonight. At least, according to the backstage gossip." He replied, prompting me to roll my eyes at him.

"Dude, you're the only member of The Shield who actually listens to that garbage!" I teased him before pushing him down the hallway toward the men's locker room.

I turned back for one final glance at her, but by then she had already disappeared through the curtain to make her WWE debut against AJ Lee.

**Aneesa's POV**

I couldn't help but stare at the tall Samoan man. There was something about him that seemed so familiar, yet he was a stranger to me, as were the rest of the WWE employees. For 2,000 years I traveled around the world, doing whatever I needed in order to survive. No one ever suspected that I was a vampire, let alone a vampire that was 2,028 years old!

"I've got your music cued up. Aneesa. Ready to make your WWE debut?" the sound technician asked me.

"As ready as I'll ever be!" I replied in my Romanian accent.

I stepped out from behind the curtain as the beginning notes of 'Living Dead Girl' by Rob Zombie played over the loudspeakers. Instead of slapping hands with the fans, I walked down the ramp with a purpose. As I walked up the metal stairs and onto the apron, I could see that AJ was a bit scared. In fact, she looked downright TERRIFIED. Even Justin Roberts, the ring announcer, seemed a bit apprehensive of me, making sure that he wasn't standing too close to me as he introduced me to the crowd.

"And making her WWE debut, from Transylvania Romania, Vampira!"

I know it sounds a bit cliché, an actual vampire using a vampire gimmick, but I figured that these...HUMANS...weren't smart enough to figure it out. The referee called for the bell and the match began.

From what I've heard, AJ Lee is a tough cookie when it comes to her in-ring ability. Her submission move has resulted in her victory over Kaitlyn a few months ago during a PPV. To be honest, I didn't give a flying fart about any of that. It didn't matter how many punches, kicks or throws that came my way...Little Miss Psycho Bitch was going DOWN!

Just as she was going for her signature move, I bared my fangs at her, making her believe that I was going to bite her. She hesitated a little bit, giving me a chance to use my finisher: Vampire's Kiss. I rolled her up and waited as the referee slapped the mat. 1-2-3! The bell rang and Justin handed the belt to the referee, who in turn handed it to me.

"Here is your winner and _**NEW**_ Diva's Champion, Vampira!" Justin announced.

The crowd was stunned, as was everyone backstage. No one knew whether to cheer for me or boo me. I didn't care either way. There was a NEW Diva's Champion in town and I had no intentions of leaving anytime soon.

I walked up the ramp clutching my title belt while AJ threw a hissy fit in the ring. I laughed maniacally as a bunch of referees tried to calm her down, which only fueled the fire even more. Eventually, security had to be called to physically remove her from the ring so that the next match could take place.

Unbeknownst to me, someone had been watching the Diva's match intently. They had been stunned, of course, by the outcome, but also intrigued...intrigued by my in-ring abilities, my appearance and they liked what they saw.


	2. Introductions

**AN: Just wanted to thank everyone for reading chapter one...I sincerely appreciate it! As always, read and review! **BELIEVE IN THE SHIELD!****

**Aneesa**

"DID YOU SEE WHAT SHE DID OUT THERE?!" AJ screamed at referee Charles Robinson backstage after our match. Needless to say, she was livid after losing her Divas Championship to me.

"What do you want me to do, AJ? Reverse my decision because she threatened to bite you? Do you have any idea how ridiculous that sounds?" he shot back.

By now, a small crowd of Divas and Superstars were gathered around the two, trying to calm AJ down to no avail.

"I have to agree with Charles, April. Besides, it's all a part of her character, just like the tantrums you throw are a part of your character. And another thing: if you're not going to be professional about your loss to Aneesa, I will personally see to it that your rematch will never happen. Do I make myself clear?" Paul Levesque, the COO of WWE, threatened.

She nodded her head before walking over to me. I was sitting on top of a storage case, staring intently at my newly won title when she approached me.

"I, uh, just wanted to congratulate you, Vampira." she said, knowing that we were on camera.

"I appreciate that, AJ. I must say that you are one tough competitor." I replied in my thick Romanian accent.

"Yeah...anyway I just wanted to tell you to enjoy your victory because sooner or later, I WILL get my title back." she threatened before walking out of view.

When our backstage segment was finished, I went to get the nameplate changed when I saw him again. He was wearing a plain black t-shirt that prominently displayed his muscles and a pair of light wash jeans that hugged his thighs and his ass. His fellow stablemates were standing next to him, talking and laughing about something when he looked up and saw me.

"Hey, you're the new Diva, right? The one who beat AJ for the Diva's Championship?" one of them asked as they walked over to me.

"Yes, I am. I'm Aneesa aka 'Vampira'. And you must be 'The Shield'."

"I'm Jonathan Good aka 'Dean Ambrose'. This here's Colby Lopez aka 'Seth Rollins' and Joe Anoa'i aka 'Roman Reigns'." Jon introduced himself and the other two guys.

**Joe**

I couldn't help but stare at her while we were talking. I noticed that she was also staring at me, occasionally glancing at Colby and Jon. While we locked eyes, I felt this strange sensation come over me, as if someone was controlling my mind. I got the sudden urge to ask Aneesa out on a date.

"Sorry to interrupt here, but I was wondering if you wanted to grab a bite to eat after RAW tomorrow." I spoke up, ignoring the incredulous looks from the guys.

"I would love to, Joe. If you'll excuse me, I have to go switch the nameplate on my belt. It was nice to meet you all. And I'll see you tomorrow night, Joe." she said with a wink, walking down the hallway and out of sight.

The instant she disappeared from view, I could feel myself getting lightheaded and dizzy. It was so overwhelming that I had to lean against the wall to avoid losing my balance.

"Whoa! You okay, man?" Colby asked me, noticing that I was having trouble standing up.

"Uh, yeah yeah...I'll be alright. Just got a little woozy for a second, that's all. I think I just need some sleep and I'll feel a lot better in the morning." I replied, scrubbing my hands over my face.

We went back to our locker room to grab our bags so we could head back to our hotel.

Later that night, while laying in my hotel bed, I kept thinking about Aneesa. No matter how much I tossed and turned, I couldn't get her out of my head. To tell you the truth, I honestly didn't mind one bit! I was looking forward to my date with Aneesa and started wondering what the night would bring before falling into a deep sleep.


	3. Impatiently Waiting

**A/N: Sorry for the lack of update. Been busy with eye appointments up the wazoo and having brain farts with this chapter. Unfortunately, this is NOT the highly anticipated date chapter. You'll just have to wait until next chappie! Anyway, you know the drill: read and review! **BELIEVE IN THE SHIELD!** Oh, and on a totally unrelated note, big congrats to Bryan Danielson and Brianna Garcia (D-Bry and Brie Bella, FYI) on their recent engagement!**

**Aneesa**

I awoke the next morning after I had procured my monthly blood supply the previous night. In the 2,000 years since that fateful night, I have learned to adapt to human life without completely losing sight of what I am. For example, I only need to drink human blood once a month to satisfy my vampire needs, which in turn allows me to consume regular food. As for sunlight, I wore long sleeved dresses until sunscreen was invented.

As I got dressed and packed my duffel bag, my thoughts drifted to the upcoming date with Joe. There was just something about him that reminded me of Damon. Ever since his death, I have found it difficult to find myself a mate worthy enough to help me rebuild the coven. That is, until now.

Suddenly there was a loud knock at the door. I finished packing my belongings and walked over to the door, peering through the peephole. On the other side of the door was Zivile aka Aksana. Due to our Western European connections, we became fast friends. I grinned as I opened the door, giggling as she gave me a gigantic hug.

"Good morning, 'Neesa! Are you ready to head out?" she said, grabbing her luggage from the hallway.

"Let me just grab my stuff and I'll be ready to go!" I said, heading over to the bed, picking up my suitcase and duffel bag.

After making sure that I had everything, the two of us went down to the lobby to check out. To my surprise, we weren't the only ones at the front desk checking out. Jon and Colby were talking to the other desk attendant; Joe, on the other hand, was nowhere to be seen. I had just placed my room key on the counter and was getting a receipt when I felt a presence behind me.

"Boo!" a familiar male voice whispered into my ear, making me jump.

I spun around to see Joe standing behind me, luggage in hand and grinning from ear to ear at the fact that he had just startled me, which is no easy feat.

I rolled my eyes before lightly swatting him in the chest.

"Someone's in a good mood this morning, huh!" I quipped, turning back to the desk attendant and thanking him.

"Let's just say that my dreams were very pleasant." he said, giving me a wink.

I could feel my cheeks burning slightly from his comment. I tried to steer the conversation in a different direction to avoid anymore awkwardness.

"So, I'm looking forward to our date tonight." I said, looking deep into his eyes.

"As am I. It's sure to be a night that neither of us will ever forget." he replied.

**Joe**

_Did I really just say that?! I_ thought to myself. Keep in mind that I am NOT the kind of person who would say something like that. My mother would be absolutely appalled.

I looked at Aneesa, praying that I hadn't sounded too forward. To my relief, she wasn't offended. In fact, she looked more intrigued more than anything.

"Dude, time to go!" Colby called to me as he and Jon were standing by the hotel entrance.

I turned to him and held up my index finger to signal that I would be there in a minute. I turned back to Aneesa so we could bid farewell to each other, even though we were going to the same arena.

"See you after the show, hot stuff!" she said, giving me a seductive wink.

I watched as she grabbed her luggage and walked away with Zivile. After staring for a few seconds, I too grabbed my bags and walked over to my stable mates.

"Hey, Joe? You might want to stop 'saluting' everyone." Jon whispered before sniggering.

I looked down and realized that I had developed a bulge in my jeans. Cursing myself mentally, I turned around and proceeded to adjust myself accordingly.

"All better now?" He asked, still sniggering.

I smacked him in the arm in response, smirking as he yelped.

"Alright, you two. Stop messing around." Colby mock scolded us.

Both Jon and I looked at him, rolling our eyes as we left the hotel.

**Aneesa**

When Zivile and I pulled into the arena parking lot, we noticed a small group of fans gathered near the back entrance. We knew that they were anxiously awaiting the WWE Superstars and Divas, hoping to get an autograph or even a photo with their favorite wrestler.

We approached the eager fans and obliged their requests. As we worked our way towards the door, one fan shouted out "OMG! IT'S THE SHIELD!" I turned around to see Jon, Colby and Joe making their way towards the fans. Zivile and I finished up our impromptu autograph session before heading back to our car to get our luggage.

As we passed by The Shield on our way to the entrance, we acknowledged each other's presence.

"Hello there, Aksana, Vampira." Joe greeted us, secretly winking at me.

"Boys." I replied, returning the wink before disappearing into the building.

Once inside, we dropped off our bags in the ladies locker room before checking out the match board. Aksana was teaming with Alicia Fox and Layla against Natalya and The Bella Twins. I, of course, would be defending my Divas Championship against AJ Lee in accordance with her rematch clause.

"Hey, 'Neesa! I'm going to grab something to eat in catering before meeting up with the girls. You wanna come with me?" Zivile asked me.

"Maybe later, Zivi. I'm just gonna go back to the locker room and stretch." I politely declined, using my nickname for her.

She nodded her head in acknowledgement before heading off to catering. I turned back to the board, secretly checking to see if The Shield had a match. Sure enough, they were all in action: Jon was taking on Nick (Dolph) and The Usos were in tag team action against Colby and Joe.

"Hey, Aneesa!" a voice rang out behind me.

I turned around to see April skipping toward me. Normally, our characters didn't get along very well (if at all), but we were on friendly terms behind the scenes.

"Hey, Ape! Have you seen the match board yet?" I asked her, playing with one of her pigtails.

"Yeah...'AJ' really wants her Divas Championship back. As for me, I could really care less. If I lose, I lose. No big deal. It's time that someone else held the title for awhile." She replied, shrugging her shoulders.

"Very true. Did you want to go through the match or should we just repeat our moves from last night?" I asked.

"We might as well repeat the moves from last night's match, since we already have them memorized. I'm going to go find Nick and wish him luck against Dean Ambrose. By the way, good luck tonight in our match!" she said before skipping down the hallway toward the mens locker room to find her real-life boyfriend.

A few minutes later, I felt another presence behind me. I turned my head to find The Shield standing there, checking out the match board.

"So, who's on the menu tonight, buys?" I asked, teasing them a little bit.

"Shouldn't you be asking Ryan that question?" Colby snickered, referring to Ryback.

"Let me rephrase my question...who's getting justice served tonight?"

"Looks like I'm facing Nick, with Joe and Colby interfering of course. And they are taking on The Usos. Doesn't it feel weird to be fighting your cousins?" Jon asked Joe.

"Well, it does make it awkward during family gatherings. Nah, I'm kidding. At the end of the day, we realize that we might be enemies in the ring, but we're still family." Joe replied.

I felt a hint of jealousy surge through my body when I heard Joe utter that word. That was something I had gone without for 2,000 years. I lost my entire family in one night, while Joe and everyone else in the WWE still had theirs. With that thought in mind, I was more determined than ever to make him my mate.

"We're gonna grab some food before we get ready for the show. You wanna join us, Aneesa?" Colby asked, bringing me out of my reverie.

"Thanks for the offer, boys, but I'm afraid I'll have to pass. But I'll see you guys later." I politely declined their offer.

"Alright then. See you later!" Jon said, walking away with Colby and Joe.

When they were out of my line of vision, I quietly exhaled and leaned against the wall opposite the match board. My lust for Roman's blood grew with every passing minute and I knew that I would have to wait until after our date tonight. But would I be able to control myself once I had tasted it?


	4. Pre-date Jitters

**A/N: Sorry for the delay, folks...been super busy lately. Now, I've got some good news and bad news. Good news: we're getting closer to the highly anticipated date chapter. Bad news: you have to wait another chapter. But I promise you that it's worth it! Now, y'all know the drill: read and review! **BELIEVE IN THE SHIELD!****

**Aneesa**

The other Divas gathered around and watched as I checked myself out in the mirror. (Despite contrary belief, vampires DO have reflections. Or at least, _I_ do anyway.) I turned to my left, then my right, making sure that my dark wash skintight jeans were showing off my curves in all the right places. I had to admit that my ass looked DAMN good. I was also wearing a black off-the-shoulder tunic that showed enough cleavage without looking trashy. Last but not least, I wore a red pair of tall Converse sneakers (courtesy of April, of course.)

"Ooh, girl! You look **HOT** with a capital 'H'!" Ariane (Cameron) squealed.

"You ain't kiddin', Ari. Looks like someone's got a hot date tonight, huh?" Trinity (Naomi) teased.

I looked at her with disbelief.

"Trin, how in the HELL did you know that?" I asked her incredulously.

"A little birdie told me." she replied nonchalantly.

"More like a little 'Jurdy' to me!" Ariane whispered to the rest of us.

"Oh, you mean Jon (Jimmy Uso)!" I replied, referring to Trinity's fiancé.

It didn't surprise me one bit that Joe would've mentioned our date with his cousins and that Trinity would know about it as well.

"Well, you would be correct, Trin. It just so happens that I do have a date tonight with none other than Joe aka 'Roman'. And I'm a little bit nervous, to be honest. It's been awhile since I've dated." I sighed, turning back to the mirror to do my makeup (a rarity for me since I rely on my natural vampire beauty.)

"Just relax and do whatever comes naturally to you. You have absolutely nothing to worry about!" Brie assured me.

_If only that were true_, I thought to myself as I applied a few coats of red lipgloss.

**Joe**

I was pacing back and forth in our locker room, like a caged animal waiting for the right moment to escape. It should be noted that I NEVER do this, not even before matches. Every once in a while, I would catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror. Our match against The Usos didn't go as well as we had hoped. Dolph went and got himself involved, which had Dean trying to help as well. Bottom line: tag match turned into a 6- man tag team match with The Shield taking on Dolph Ziggler and The Usos. And of course we won.

"Dude, you need to calm down. You look fine!" Colby told me.

I stopped pacing long enough to check myself out. I was wearing a pair of dark wash jeans and a black long sleeved button-down shirt. All I had to do now was pull my hair back into a ponytail and put on my dress shoes.

"Dude, don't take this the wrong way or anything, but if I was a chick, I'd totally date you." Jon teased, earning a slap upside the head from both me and Colby.

"Not helping here, Jon!" I said, grabbing my hairbrush out of my bag before running it through my hair.

"Hey, I'm sorry, man. I'm just trying to get your mind off of how nerve wracking this must be for you." he said, raising his hands in self defense.

"I appreciate it. It's just been awhile since I've dated anyone. Not since Amber and I..." I let my words trail off, thinking about my ex-fiancee who had passed away a few years ago.

"She would want you to move on and find someone that makes you happy." Colby said, handing me an extra hair elastic.

"Not just you, but also Madison." Jon added, referring to my daughter.

"You guys are right. I need to get back out there and find that special someone who can make both of us happy!" I said, pulling the hair elastic around my hair.

"That's the spirit!" Colby cheered, clapping me on the back before handing me my dress shoes.

**Aneesa**

I sat in a chair in front of the mirror, playing with my phone. Celeste (Kaitlyn) was using a large barreled curling iron to transform my straight locks into loose curls. Just as she was finishing up, my phone beeped. I checked my text messages and saw that I had one from Joe, saying that he was on his way to the women's locker room. Squealing with excitement, I quickly replied while Celeste sprayed my curls with maximum hold hairspray. I stood up and gave myself one final look over before grabbing my purse.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door, causing all of us girls to squeal and shriek with excitement. While the other girls gave me some last minute advice, Brie went to the door to let in my date.

"Oh, Aneesa! Guess who's here!" she teased in a sing-song voice.

I looked up and saw Joe walking toward me, a gigantic smile plastered on his face.

"You look AMAZING, Aneesa!" he said, making me blush.

"You don't look so bad yourself, handsome." I replied.

We spent a minute just staring into each other's eyes before April broke the silence.

"Okay, you two lovebirds. Don't stay out too late, got it?" she playfully lectured us.

"Yes, mother." I replied, playing along.

Joe offered me his arm and I graciously slipped mine through his before leaving the locker room. As the door closed behind us, I could hear the girls chatting excitedly amongst themselves, making me roll my eyes.

"So, where do you wanna go for our date?" Joe asked me as we walked down the hallway.

"Wherever you want, sweetheart." I replied.


	5. A Heart-to-heart With Sushi

**A/N: Alright folks. It's the chapter you've all been waiting for. Aneesa and Joe's first date is finally here! I hope you all enjoy it! Read and review please! **BELIEVE IN THE SHIELD!** On a separate note, I'd like to wish my 'boys' good luck on Sunday at Hell In A Cell when they face The Usos and The Rhodes Brothers in a triple threat match for the Tag Team Championship. I sincerely hope they win!**

**Aneesa**

Joe and I took a taxi to this all night sushi restaurant. I couldn't help but notice that the hostess was making googly eyes at him, much to my chagrin. The second she looked back to smirk at me, my eyes turned blood red, thwarting her attempts to flirt with him further. She gasped silently before grabbing two menus and seating us rather quickly. By the time she had returned to the hostess desk, my eyes had returned to their natural color (dark brown).

"Well, I hope you like sushi." he joked, perusing the menu.

"Of course I do. Otherwise, I'd be in trouble, wouldn't I!" I joked back.

Our waiter came over to the table to get our drink order. After conferring with Joe, we decided on sake. A few seconds later, he brought us the sake bottle and two shot glasses. We thanked him before pouring ourselves a glass and raising them for a toast.

"Here's to great conversation, good times and getting to know each other!" I said, clinking my glass against his.

After checking out the menu, we decided on what we were going to have. The look on our waiter's face make me giggle internally as Joe placed our order. We handed him the menus and he quickly walked over to the sushi bar, rapidly speaking Japanese to the sushi chefs and pointing at us excitedly.

"Safe to assume that they've never had an order that large before!" I told Joe.

"How do you know?" he asked me with curiosity.

"I speak fluent Japanese, along with several other languages." I replied nonchalantly.

"Just how many is several?" he pressed.

"Let's just say that if there was a real-life human version of C3PO, that would be me." I told him.

"Whoa. That's impressive! So, if someone decided to badmouth you and assumed that you couldn't understand a word of it..." he inquired.

"They'd be in for a rude awakening, especially if I replied back in their native tongue!" I said as we both chuckled.

Pretty soon, our conversation turned to our family lives, the one topic I had been dreading. I never liked talking about my family tragedy.

"My family has been involved with WWE for a long time. My father and uncle were a tag team called 'The Wild Samoans', my brother wrestled under the name 'Rosey' while he was a part of 3 Minute Warning and of course, everyone's favorite, 'Rosey the Super Hero In Training' when he worked with 'The Hurricane'. Then, you've got my cousins 'The Usos', their father 'Rikishi', my other cousin Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson and my other cousins 'Umaga' and 'Yokozuna', who passed away 4 years and 13 years ago, respectively."

I whistled, showing how impressed I was with his wrestling lineage.

"So, do you have any family members who aren't with WWE?" I asked him.

"Yeah, I have a 5 year old daughter with my late fiancee." he replied, taking out his phone to find a picture he could show me.

"What's her name?" I inquired, referring to his daughter.

"Madison Aline Anoa'i. Uh...here we go. This was the last picture of the three of us before Amber passed away." He replied, handing me his phone.

I had to hold back tears as I stared at the picture. She was dressed as a princess (presumably from Halloween of last year), sitting in between Joe and her mother Amber. It was astonishing to see how much Madison looked like Joe. She was practically the spitting image of him, except for her green eyes, which she had apparently inherited from her mom.

"She's beautiful. They both are, actually. I hope you don't mind my asking, but how did Amber die?" I asked.

"She, uh, was driving to Madison's school to pick her up and a drunk driver hit her head-on in an intersection. They both died instantly. Instead of getting married in a matter of days, I had to help her family make funeral arrangements. It was hard on everyone, especially Madison. The family of the drunk driver has reached out to us several times, but I have yet to reply to them." Joe explained, trying to keep his composure.

"I'm so sorry for your loss. It's not easy losing people you love, especially if it's someone you were about to spend the rest of your life with. I can sympathize with your situation." I said, gently placing a hand on his.

"You mean you've lost a loved one who meant the world to you as well?" he asked me.

"Yes. I lost my mate Damon and our twins in a horrific tragedy. Two strangers snuck into our home and slaughtered them while we slept peacefully. I was the only survivor of the attack." I replied, staring out the window.

"I can't even begin to imagine what you went through with losing your two children. There are no words for it. I'm sorry that you had to go through so much pain and suffering. But if I've learned anything from losing Amber, it is possible to get through it." Joe said, gently squeezing my hand and shaking me out of my reverie.

"You're right. And thank you for understanding, Joe. That means so much to me." I replied, giving him a sincere smile.

**Joe**

Our food came soon after we had finished our little heart-to-heart. As we ate, our conversation turned to the upcoming WWE European tour.

"Can you believe that we're going to be in Romania for the first time ever?" I asked her in between bites.

"I know. I can't wait! Plus, we have a couple days to sightsee, which means I could show you where my family came from." she replied excitedly.

"I would love that! I've always been fascinated by the folklore of Transylvania." I told her.

"Just so you know, it's not all make believe. Just saying." Aneesa warned me, her chopsticks pointed directly at my face.

I noticed that she had a piece of sashimi in between the chopsticks, so I leaned forward and sunk my teeth into the salmon. She watched as I quickly ate it and chased it down with a shot of sake.

"Excuse me, but that was _my_ piece of sashimi!" she scoffed, giving me a mock scowl.

"You snooze, you lose!" I crowed triumphantly in a playful way.

With those words, Aneesa used her chopsticks to steal one of my salmon rolls. Before I could protest, she popped it in her mouth before giving me a look of satisfaction.

"You were saying?" she said, taking a healthy gulp of sake.

I was completely dumbfounded. I wanted to say so many things to her, but settled on "fine, let's just call it even, okay?". She nodded in agreement and we proceeded to finish our meal.

132 fresh salmon rolls, 72 fresh salmon sashimi pieces and 8 octopus sushi pieces later, we were ready to pay and head to our next hotel. Aneesa's roommate Zivile had already taken her luggage to their room while Jon and Colby had taken mine to our room.

"The cab should be here in a few minutes." she informed me, hanging up on her cell phone.

"Excellent. Colby gave me the address for the hotel everyone is staying at before we left." I told her, putting some money on the table to pay for our meal.

**Aneesa**

Joe once again offered me his arm and I graciously took it as we exited the restaurant. A few seconds later, the taxi cab pulled up and we climbed into the back. He gave the driver the address for the hotel and we sped off into the night. Before we knew it, we had arrived at the hotel. I paid the driver for our trip, telling him to keep the change as we got out. After heading into the hotel, we checked into our rooms and got an extra key. It turned out that our rooms were on the same floor, but on opposite ends of the hallway.

The elevator ride to our floor was silent, as was the walk to mine and Zivile's room. Even though he didn't have to escort me, Joe insisted on it.

"So..." I began.

"I had a great time tonight." Joe said, looking down at his feet.

"So did I. We should do it again sometime." I replied, placing my hand under his chin so I could look into his eyes.

"I'd like that." He said, giving me a smile.

After a few seconds of embarrassed silence, he leaned down to kiss me. _Now's your chance, Aneesa. Sample his blood. You know you want to_, my mind was telling me. But deep down inside, I knew that now was not the time. I had to wait for a more appropriate time when we were completely alone.

I felt his lips brush against my cheek, making me blush.

Before we said our final goodnights, we made sure to exchange numbers so we could keep in touch.

"Goodnight, Aneesa. See you at the Smackdown tapings tomorrow." Joe said before heading to The Shield's room.

"Pleasant dreams, Joe." I replied before entering mine and Zivile's room. The second the door closed behind me, I sighed happily, unaware that Zivi was still awake, anxiously awaiting to hear every detail of our date.

"So, how was your date with the Samoan Sex Pot?" she asked me, giving me a wink.

"It was wonderful, Zivi. I think I'm in love with Joe Anoa'i!" I said, heading over to my suitcase and pulling out my pajamas.

"I need details, Neesa! Where did you go? What did you do? Did he french you?" she asked me eagerly.

"We went to an all-night sushi restaurant, where we spent our time talking about our families and how much we love being in the WWE. And no, he didn't french me. For Heaven's sake, Zivi, the man is a complete gentleman! All I got was a simple peck on the cheek. So, sorry to disappoint you." I flat out told her while changing into my pajamas.

"Hmph! And here I was hoping for a little more action!" she quipped before we headed into the bathroom to brush our teeth.

"Zivi, we need to find you a boyfriend. Then you can have all the action you want!" I said, waiting for her to finish.

A few minutes later, we returned to our beds and said goodnight to each other before turning out the lights. I knew that in time, I would get what I wanted. And at that moment, I knew when and where it would happen. I soon drifted into a peaceful slumber with that particular thought in my mind and a tiny smile on my face.


	6. Seating Arrangements

**A/N: So, I realized that the nightmare chapter got published too early. So, you'll be getting a filler chapter or two instead. I deeply apologize for this. You know the drill: read and review! **BELIEVE IN THE SHIELD!****

**Joe**

I was currently sitting in the airport lounge, along with Colby and Jon. We were waiting for our flight to begin boarding so we could embark on our overseas tour of Europe, along with half of the WWE roster. While Jon and Colby were busy getting snacks at the vending machine, I grabbed my carry-on and went over to sit next to Aneesa. It had been a few weeks since our first date and since then we had been trying to make time to see each other, despite our hectic schedules.

"Hey, beautiful. What are you doing?" I asked her as I sat next to her.

"Just checking out our schedules for the tour." She replied, taking a sip of her drink.

"I can't believe that they've arranged a private tour of a castle in Transylvania for us!" I exclaimed, pulling out my boarding pass.

"I know. It'll be good to see the old country again." She said, checking her boarding pass as well.

"So, where are you seated?" I asked, trying to sneak a peek at her pass.

"7-D. How about you?" she inquired.

"I'm in 7-E, right next to you! Is this fate or what!" I rejoiced, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

"Hey! No PDA, you two!" Colby scolded as he walked over to us.

"It was just a kiss on the cheek!" I tried to defend myself.

"Try to keep it PG, will ya? I don't need an excuse to use the air sickness bag on the plane _before_ we take off." Jon complained, tossing me a bag of M&Ms.

"So, where you two lovebirds sittin', eh?" Colby asked.

"I'm in 7-E and Aneesa is in 7-D." I replied, smirking as my stablemates began frowning.

"But The Shield always sits together on airplanes. This is an injustice, I tell you. INJUSTICE!" Jon exclaimed, earning him a light smack on the shoulder.

"Oh, for Heaven's sake. It's just one flight. I think you'll live." I said, rolling my eyes.

"Plus, Zivile is sitting next you. I'm sure she'll be more than willing to trade seats with Joe during our flight. That way, you three can have a conversation together and us girls can do the same." Aneesa offered.

I noticed that when Aneesa mentioned Zivile's name, she grabbed her bag and came over to us.

"What's going on over here? I heard you speak my name!" she said, looking at the four of us excitedly.

"I was just saying that you would be more than willing to trade seats with Joe if you wanted to have some girl talk." Aneesa explained.

"Of course! Plus, I think that Natalie and Celeste are sitting behind us, so us girls can gossip about boys and whatnot." Zivile exclaimed.

"So, it's settled. At some point during our flight, we'll switch seats once the pilot turns the seatbelt light off." I said, throwing an arm around Aneesa's shoulders and giving her a hug.

At that moment, our flight number was announced and it was time to board the plane. Being a gentlemen, I allowed both Aneesa and Zivile to go ahead of me in line, earning snickers from both Jon and Colby. It was hard to believe that in 16 hours, we would be landing in Belfast, Northern Ireland to begin our tour. I could hardly wait, unaware of what lie ahead for both Aneesa and I.


End file.
